Garage Storage: Backdoor Storage Center

Get clutter off the floor and out of the house with these 5 quick storage solutions

Entry doors from attached garages and mud rooms seem to attract clutter. These storage projects are designed to solve that problem, with special shelves, cabinets and drawers for toys, sports gear, shoes, boots, and all the other stuff that piles up by a heavily used entryway.

By the DIY experts of The Family Handyman Magazine:September 2009

Time

Weekend

Figure about three hours for each cabinet

Complexity

Moderate

Cost

$100 - $500

Cabinets averaged about $50 each

Step-by-Step

Five easy options for five kinds of garage clutter

If you have an attached garage, the
door to the house is probably a
dumping ground for shoes,
sports gear, jackets and all kinds of
other stuff that you don’t have space for
indoors. These five cabinets can eliminate
that mess so you don’t have to
walk through an obstacle course to get
in the house. Each cabinet is a simple
box that has been customized to solve a
different storage problem. Build one or
all five.

You can build, install and load these
cabinets in a weekend. The only power
tools you’ll need are a drill and a circular
saw. But a table saw and a sliding
miter saw are handy for ripping and
crosscutting the plywood, and a brad
nailer helps tack the cabinets and drawers
together before you drive the screws.

Each cabinet requires one sheet of
plywood or less. We
used birch plywood, but you
could use oak plywood or even
MDF. For the pantry cabinet,
you’ll need 1/4-in. plywood for the
drawer bottoms. All the materials are
available at home centers.

We designed these cabinets with
economy and speed in mind. Here are
three tricks we used to cut costs and
assembly time:

If you have a brad nailer, tack parts
together to make drilling easier. But
don’t rely on brads alone—you still
need screws. If you don’t have a brad
nailer, use clamps (Photo 2).

If your cuts were slightly off and the
top, bottom and sides aren’t exactly the
same width, don’t worry. Just make
sure the front edges of the box are flush.

Attach the screw strip to the top before
attaching the side pieces.

Attach hardware (drawer slides, shelf
standards) to the sides before building
the box.

Screw the top, bottom and any fixed
shelves onto one side before attaching
the other side.

Hanging the cabinets

1 of 1

Photo 3: Cleats support cabinets

Set the cabinets on
a cleat, then screw
them to the wall at the
studs (use tape to mark
the stud locations).
Drive screws through
the cabinet bottoms
into the cleat.

Install a 2x2 cleat on the wall for the cabinets
to sit on. You’ll need 24 in. of cleat
for each cabinet. Keep the cleat at least
8 in. above the floor so you can sweep
under the cabinets.

Snap a level chalk line on the wall for
the cleat (measure down from the ceiling
if your floor slopes!). Attach the cleat at
the chalk line by driving a 3-in. drywall
screw into each stud. Set the cabinets on
the cleats. Place a level alongside the cabinet
to make sure it’s standing plumb and
square. Then drill pilot holes through the
screw strips and attach the cabinets to the
wall with 3-in. drywall screws (Photo 3).
Screw adjoining cabinets together by
driving 1-1/4-in. drywall screws through the side near the top and the bottom.

Sports gear cabinet

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A compact organizer for all kinds of equipment

The cabinet dividers let you store long-handled
sports gear, like hockey sticks,
bats and rackets. The lip on the top shelf
keeps balls from falling off. Nail the lip
to the shelf before installing the shelf at
any height that suits your needs.

Sports gear cabinet

Sports Gear Cabinet Details

When installing the dividers, cut two
7-in. spacers and place them between
the cabinet sides and the dividers to
keep the dividers straight as you install
the cabinet face.

Measure diagonally from box corner
to corner to make sure the cabinet is
square before attaching the face. Set the
face on the cabinet, leaving a 1/8-in.
reveal along both sides and the bottom.
Drill pilot holes and screw the face to the
sides and the dividers.

Wet clothes cabinet

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An airy hangout for damp or dirty coats and boots

The wire shelves in this cabinet allow
boots to drip dry and air to circulate freely
so clothes will dry. The extra-wide screw
strip lets you attach coat hooks. To build
the cabinet, you'll need 6 ft. of 12-in.-deep
wire shelving and coat hooks.

Wet clothes cabinet

Wet Clothes Cabinet Details

Attach the back cleats flush with the
sides. Inset the front cleats 1/4 in. Cut the
wire shelves at 22-1/4 in. This gives you
1/8 in. of play on each side. Cut the
shelves with bolt cutters or have the home
center cut them for you. The metal in the
shelves is very tough and hard to cut with
a hacksaw.

Place plastic end caps over the shelf ends. Secure the
shelves to the front cleats with C-clamps. Fasten two clamps
per shelf. Hold the coat hooks in place in
the cabinet, drill pilot holes and then drive
the screws that came with the hooks to fasten
them in place.

Shoe and boot cabinet

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Eliminate the footwear pileup on the back steps

The lower shelves in this cabinet hold
boots and shoes, while the cubbyholes at
the top are for slippers and sandals. The
screw strip is lower in this cabinet than it
is in the rest, but it'll still hold the cabinet
in place.

Shoe and boot cabinet

Shoe and Boot Cabinet Details

Install the lower shelf first, then add the
divider and screw on the shelves that fit
between the divider and the cabinet sides.

Build the cubbyholes on your work surface,
then stick the assembled cubbies into
the cabinet. Start by screwing two
dividers onto a shelf. Make two shelves
this way. Then install a center divider
between these two shelves. Add a shelf to
the bottom, over the two dividers. Then
insert the cubbies inside the cabinet and
screw through the sides into the shelves
and through the top into the dividers.

Open-shelf cabinet

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Spacious, adjustable shelves that cut garage clutter

This open-shelf cabinet needs a fixed
shelf in the middle to keep the sides from
bowing, but you can make the rest of the
shelves adjustable. Install as many
adjustable shelves as you want—this cabinet
can hold a lot of stuff!

Open-shelf cabinet

Open-Shelf Cabinet Details

You'll need four 6-ft. shelf standards
for this cabinet. Get started by
marking the shelf standard locations and
the fixed middle shelf location on the
two cabinet sides. Cut the shelf standards
to length with a hacksaw, then
screw them to the sides above and below
the fixed shelf marks.

Install the adjustable shelves after you
hang the cabinet on the wall.

Pantry cabinet

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Bulk storage that frees up kitchen space

If you buy groceries in bulk, this is the
storage solution for you. The bottom drawers
in this cabinet are deep enough to hold
two cases of soda. The top drawers are perfect
for canned goods or bottled water. The
upper shelves are adjustable for more bulk
storage. The cabinet faces and door keep
everything enclosed.

Pantry cabinet

Pantry Cabinet Details

Inexpensive drawer slides let the drawers
open and close easily. You’ll also need two
6-ft. shelf standards.

Lay the cabinet sides next to each other
and mark the center for each drawer slide.
Place a slide over each mark, drill pilot
holes (we recommend a self-centering
drill bit for this) and screw the slides into
place. Cut the shelf standards with a hacksaw
and screw them to the cabinet sides,
above the fixed shelf.

Assemble the drawers with 1-5/8-in.
screws. Place the drawer slides on the
drawers, drill pilot holes and attach them
with screws. Test-fit them in the cabinet.
If the cabinet sides are bowed even
slightly (like ours were), attach a 2-in.
rail in the back to hold the sides in
place so the drawers slide smoothly.

Fasten the faces to the drawers with
1-1/4-in. screws driven from inside
the drawers. Build the handles with
leftover plywood and attach them
with 2-in. screws (driven from the
inside).

Attach the door to the cabinet with
1/2-in. overlay hinges, also called
half-wrap hinges. They’re available at home centers or online.

Tools & Materials List

Required Tools for this Project

Have the necessary tools for this DIY project lined up before you start—you’ll save time and frustration.

Clamps

Miter saw

Air compressor

Air hose

Brad nail gun

Cordless drill

Circular saw

4-in-1 screwdriver

Countersink drill bit

Level

Framing square

Safety glasses

Self-centering drill bit

Table saw

Required Materials for this Project

Avoid last-minute shopping trips by having all your materials ready ahead of time. Here's a list.